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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29638917">Shot of His Smile</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/charcoalscenes/pseuds/charcoalscenes'>charcoalscenes</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Backdated Publications [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Budding Love, Fluff, M/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr, post-Season 1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2012-09-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2012-09-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 20:01:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,506</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29638917</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/charcoalscenes/pseuds/charcoalscenes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After Shark's recovery and before the Word Duel Carnival commences, Yuma has a glimpse of Shark with nothing on his shoulders. </p><p>(Posted to AO3 on February 2021 with a Backdated Publication date from when it posted to Tumblr.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kamishiro Ryouga/Tsukumo Yuuma</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Backdated Publications [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2170983</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Shot of His Smile</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Actual publication into AO3 is on February 2021. This is an old piece I shared on Tumblr and wanted to post using this site's Backdate feature. More older fics will likely be added onto the Backdated Publications series, so for anyone interested in this piece or in checking out the others, enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shark comes back to school the next day, and Yuma drags them into the restroom.  "We’ve never peed together!“ He cheers, excited, because of course Yuma would want to bond with his guy friends via pissing contests, and neither Shark nor any of their classmates who they pass by look really surprised that he’d say so.</p><p>"So, are you sure you’re alright being back on your feet so soon?” Yuma splashes water on the sink in small puddles as he wrings his hands under the faucet, his attention on the one coming to join him.  "I’ve never gotten my soul stolen before, but you shouldn’t force yourself to come to school if you're, like, sick, or need a spiritual vacation in the mountains or something.  I know a place.“</p><p>"I’m fine.” Shark was a fan of short answers and grunts of acknowledgement, as well as an indifferent face.  Now, he smiles, and continues, “It felt pretty weird.  I’m just tired now; you know when you’re getting your blood tested and they needle it out of you?”</p><p>“I hate needles!” Yuma shivers and cringes.  Astral hears Yuma swear silently, <em> I’ll never get my soul stolen! </em>  Suddenly, because Yuma promises that it will never happen, Astral worries that it will.  Yuma turns off the tap when Shark does, and asks, “Did it hurt?”</p><p>Shark pauses in front of the dryer.  His smile drops because he sees that Yuma’s has, but there is nothing saddening or burdening about being alone in a public restroom with Yuma asking if he’s okay.  He turns the dryer on and shrugs, “It hurt.  But it was nothing I couldn’t handle.” His hands rub themselves under the cold air even after he feels them dry.  "And.  Anyway.  It was worth it.“</p><p>Shark watches Yuma blink, and it takes a second for Yuma to get it before his face breaks into a broad, touched smile over the happy glint of the Ou Key.  Yuma darts for the same dryer that Shark is using and grabs onto Shark’s hands, wetting them again and rubbing them under the air.</p><p>Shark breaks into a huff of laughter first, playing and wrestling Yuma’s fingers off his only for Yuma to slap his palms on him again.  The afternoon bell rings.</p><p> </p><ul>

</ul><p> </p><p>Yuma watches Shark climb onto his bike from the side entrance of the school.  "What if I hitch a ride with him,” he wonders aloud.  What if he could run up to Shark, grin and raise his voice in the goofy way he knows could make Shark’s lips quirk up, ask if he could drive him home, wear a spare helmet or go skull-commando and wrap his arms tight around Shark’s waist and try not to yell in his ear, against the wind.</p><p>Yuma would be able to forget about a lot of things, for just a few minutes, tucking himself behind Shark like that.  He could forget about the suns and the hunter he saw this morning.  And it’s not like he’s never rode on one of those things before; Akari once let him get on hers.</p><p>Takashi gives him a look and sighs.  "You’re not leaving me,“ he tells Yuma, hooking his fingers around his classmate’s wrist and dragging him back inside.  They were all late in coming in this morning, Yuma being the latest, and they all had to stay an extra fifteen minutes over a book before being dismissed.  Yuma knows that Shark would’ve waited for him if he’d have asked.</p><p> </p><ul>

</ul><p> </p><p>But at the end of the week, Yuma doesn’t ask to be taken home.  "Let’s eat somewhere,” he says during break.  It wasn’t easy to find Shark; their school had one of the biggest student populations in the county, and Yuma feels himself panting through his words after making the effort to look everywhere for him.  Shark notices, smiles wryly but doesn’t comment.  "To celebrate,“ Yuma explains.  "And I’ll pay for it, as a thank you.  How often do you have a near-death experience because of me, right?”</p><p>“Sure.” Shark laughs a bit, because it doesn’t look like Yuma realizes how heavily he’s leaning forward, almost like he’s about to collapse.  It’s around three more minutes until he has to go to class again, so he must have started rushing.  Shark hands him his water bottle, and Yuma ogles it the way only the parched do before smiling gratefully, snatching the plastic and downing the contents.</p><p>“Can we go today?” Yuma breathes out in a smoother voice.  "Are you alright with burgers?  Or do you want cake?  Ice cream?“</p><p>“The last two, together.” Shark remembers seeing Yuma for the first time, maybe a year ago, when they were both a little shorter, and Yuma was always seen introducing himself to others by asking for a duel.  Their schedules never matched; they never spoke.  Shark shakes his head when Yuma hands back the bottle.  "Keep it.“  And he asks, because he isn’t sure, "Are the others coming?”</p><p>Yuma doesn’t answer right away, because he’s surprised that he finds himself wanting to say no.  No, it will be just us.  For now, just us, and maybe a spirit, because I want to get to know you all by myself some more, just for a moment, when nothing is happening and there’s nothing to fight for, and you’re smiling now after so long, all cooled down and warmed up like a pretty afternoon eating ice cream, and I want to just sit with that and we can eat whatever you want.  So, “No,” he answers, smiling at the thought: “Today, just us.”</p><p> </p><ul>

</ul><p> </p><p>“I know a place,” is what Shark had said the day Yuma had gorged on slices of cake that wore scoops of ice cream like hats, had climbed behind Shark and held onto him on his bike and howled as Shark again helped him do something he’ll never tell Haru about.</p><p> </p><ul>

</ul><p> </p><p>When they exchange Gazer codes, Yuma names Shark’s contact “Shark” and finds a picture of a literal shark to put as his ID picture.  Later, he’ll catch a photo of Shark while looking over Kotori’s shoulder as she browses through news sites on her D-Pad, and the photo the article uses looks old, what with Shark’s hair looking a little shorter over an outfit Yuma’s never seen before, and Shark isn’t just not smiling- he looks the opposite of smiling, and Yuma frowns and wishes they’d at least taken a better photo.</p><p>“Hey, Shark!” Yuma makes Shark stop and turn before Shark buckles his helmet on, and Yuma already has his Gazer out.  "I need something from you.“</p><p>"You need a ride?” Shark raises an eyebrow, watching Yuma open the bike’s back compartment and taking out the spare helmet he wore before.  Yuma grins, shakes his head, and shoves the helmet down, unbuckled.  Astral moves languidly to the other side of Yuma’s Gazer as the boy grabs onto Shark’s shoulder and holds the tool up.</p><p>Yuma has probably never taken a photo with a Gazer before, probably doesn’t know that he can adjust the zoom of the camera so that the picture can be as wide as he wants.  So, Shark is crushed against him, half of Yuma’s body pressing on half of Shark’s, their undone helmets clunking against each other, and Yuma has nice teeth.  Nice eyelashes, nice face.</p><p>Shark watches Yuma’s eyes flutter for the camera, his lashes touching his skin, under the mess of hair pushed down by the helmet.  The sight pulls on Shark’s mouth, and his lips stretch in reply, and he laughs into the half-hug, at Yuma moving the Gazer and talking through his smiling teeth as though being directed by another, “Is the view okay?  How ‘bout now?  Now?”</p><p>Yuma doesn’t ask Shark to look at the camera, and Shark doesn’t know it’s an ID shot, and Yuma has never been one to take pictures, and by accident, Yuma takes four, his finger having hit the shutter three more times than he’d intended.  Something in Yuma’s chest feels warm and fast, and his stomach flutters without hurting, because in only one of the pictures does Shark look at the camera, and the way he looks at Yuma in the rest makes it seem like Shark has found something lovely and precious that is hard not to pay attention to.</p><p>He crops the one where Shark is facing forward and wants it to appear on his Gazer every day.</p><p> </p><ul>

</ul><p> </p><p>Kotori nudges Yuma for the third time because he won’t stop bouncing his foot or tapping his fingers or staring at the door of the classroom with the word impatience displayed in hot neon over his head.  Astral points out, quietly, “Are you distracted by wanting to speak with Shark again?”  It doesn’t really sound like a question.</p><p> </p><ul>

</ul><p> </p><p>One day, he sneaks a peek in the school’s parking lot before going to meet Kotori and the others for a weekend rendezvous, and he sees Shark leaning on his bike, eyes closed and bouncing his helmet in his hands.  Everyone is going home, or going to play, and Shark is standing idly by his bike looking like he could stand there for the rest of the day and not mind.  Yuma wonders if Shark is waiting for something.  Yuma wonders how sweet Shark’s smile today might be if he were to go up to Shark now, and say goodbye for the weekend.</p><p>Astral says, “They’re probably waiting for you by now.”  Yuma grunts, his eyes not leaving Shark as he feels his feet start to turn back.  But he’s played video games before, driving games and racing games, and often he’d been given a warning, flashing on the screen in letters so large they could never be ignored, <em> wrong way, wrong way. </em></p><p>“Shark!” He greets, and Shark smiles before he looks up, and seeing Yuma makes Shark look like he’s seeing an old friend, even though they aren’t old and it’s only been a day.  Yuma beams. “Are you busy?”</p><p>Shark nods. “I have somewhere I gotta be.  But, if you want me to take you home?”</p><p>“Nah!  I just…thought of inviting you.”  Lampposts with bulbs the shape of swivels, small stands built to look like huts playing soft tunes and selling every sweet drink one could think to crave.  Shark would like it, right?  "Some of us are checking out the opening of the baywalk.  There’s going to be a couple of celebrities coming for an opening duel.  Are you sure you can’t?”</p><p>But Shark clicks his helmet on, wishing Yuma a nice time, and Yuma promises, "I’ll send pictures.  I take great pictures!”  Shark laughs, and has to believe him, because next to the ones that the paparazzi and reporters have taken on their professional cameras, the best pictures of Shark that Yuma has seen yet are the ones stored in his pocket.</p><p> </p><ul>

</ul><p> </p><p>He sees a couple who are hooking arms, entranced by the duel, and wonders why, seeing them, like that, makes him wish Shark were there.</p><p> </p><ul>

</ul><p> </p><p>He hasn’t told Shark that he plans to join the Carnival.  Yuma studies the heart-shaped rings displayed by the cashier, fantasizes about dueling Shark somewhere in the battlegrounds, just once, because they’ve never dueled just for fun before, and wonders if it would be against the rules for them to stick together afterwards and fight as a tag-team.</p><p>It would make sense, if he wanted that, for him to want to buy them something to show that they were a duo.  He and Astral shared the Key.  And he wasn’t sure if Shark was a big fan of hearts, but Shark liked blue, and purple, and green, and the color Shark wouldn’t prefer could be the one Yuma would wear himself.</p><p>Yuma steps away from the display and pays off the milk and tissues Haru had sent him out for.  Shark might not want Yuma to get them matching jewelry.  Shark might think it’d mean–</p><p>–something. something else.</p><p> </p><ul>

</ul><p> </p><p>Yuma liked Shark waiting that extra minute after school in case Yuma would come by.  Yuma liked Shark letting him hang onto his waist and hoot giddily as his stomach felt the bike make a sharp turn.  Yuma liked the pictures of Shark’s face not having a care, liked seeing Shark try not to laugh or scold him when he ate dessert the way a shredder could eat paper, liked the casual run-in’s and the mundane pleasantries.  <em> How are you, Let’s walk together, Where are you off to, See you later. </em></p><p>Yuma thought that he liked the sight of Shark riding off into the distance too, leaving Yuma behind, because Shark was still smiling then, had come up to Yuma first just to say hello, and it had calmed Yuma enough so that he was able to make at least a somewhat coherent plea for a heartpiece right after.</p><p>But he’s been seeing Shark ride off too often lately, turning his back to Yuma with something from that old picture that Yuma doesn’t like creeping back bit by bit each time they meet, something quiet but consuming, and not <em> just </em> sad now, but <em> more </em>.  The sound of Shark’s engine stopped being a purr and has started to sound like a growl, and Shark’s shoulders are tight and his face taut as he rides away from Yuma.  And Yuma doesn’t like this scene anymore.</p><p>“Shark!” he’d call out just a few days ago, and Shark would turn and stay and listen.  "Shark!“ Yuma roars, angry, over the engine, but Shark doesn’t stop.  "Shark!”</p><p>“Tell me what’s wrong,” he texts.  The picture of Shark looking out the Gazer, distracted, because Yuma was beside him, doesn’t appear often anymore.</p><p>“Let me help you,” Yuma tries again.</p><p>“I like you,” he thinks of sending.  "I like you,“ as though it would patch up whatever it is that’s making Shark gloomy again, as though Shark would take it to mean what Yuma wonders if it really does.  "I’ll buy us ice cream?” he sends insteads.  “We can take a break.  You said you wouldn’t duel yet.  We can stop, for a bit.”</p><p>Shark doesn’t have any pictures of Yuma, and Yuma sends him the ones that he took of them together.  Yuma will swipe his hand across his Gazer and look at Shark smiling, thinking maybe Shark can do this too now.  Maybe Shark will like them, and it will help.</p><p> </p><ul>

</ul><p> </p><p>Yuma feels Astral frowning at Yuma’s purchase.  Yuma raises his Gazer and points it at the rings.  "After this is over,“ he types to the face that Shark hasn’t worn in a while, "this will be our present!”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Astral consoles him, and Yuma ignores it.  Because he is still friends with Shark, and nothing will happen to Shark, and the hopeless finality Yuma hears in Astral’s voice when his mismatched eyes spot Shark’s picture in Yuma’s hands means nothing.  Yuma and Shark will be okay again, soon.  This will be over, this bump on their road will pass.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Astral says.  Send.</p>
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